Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » AddisAbabaBand: Alive

AddisAbabaBand: Alive

By Jakob Baekgaard
June 16, 2018
View read count

One of the best things about the digital age is that music is so easily shared. Music from different worlds is just a click away on platforms where independent artists and labels sell and stream their music. Naturally, this also means that it becomes easier to exchange one musical perspective with another. However, even in these globalized times, it is a rarity to experience a Danish big band from Aarhus dedicated to the sounds of Ethiojazz and Afrobeat.

Many big bands, as good as they are, stick to a relatively conservative understanding of the big band format, which means that the experiments with genre often take place within an established jazz tradition. AddisAbabaBand, as the name reveals, has another starting point. Named after the capital of Ethiopia, the band acknowledges Ethiojazz maestro

Mulatu Astatke

percussion

" data-original-title="" title="">Mulatu Astatke as a primary influence and ventures into different journeys of funk on Alive, a live album that follows up on two previous releases: their self-titled debut and the single Rainbow Warrior / Laika Laika Interstellar .

The party starts immediately with a new track, "Space Pants." It introduces a solo guitar riff that is elaborated when another guitar enters. Punchy horns and percussion are added in a swirling dance with

Simon Eskildsen

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Simon Eskildsen's electric piano on top. Next, the band plays both sides from the single Rainbow Warrior / Laika Laika Interstellar . Especially the A-side, "Rainbow Warrior," is interesting. It is a cover of a composition by the Danish bassist and composer J?rgen Schmidt. Schmidt was one of the pioneers in the reggae-environment in Denmark and wrote "Rainbow Warrior" as a protest song against the bombing of the Green Peace ship Rainbow Warrior. In the AddisAbabaBand-version, the vocal is handled by percussionist Preben Kaels and he pushes the fusion of fiery funk and deep reggae rhythms forward with his voice ending in an ecstatic roar. The ecstasy is also built up on the track "Zion" with fabulous flute playing from guest star, Ali Diarra.

Another unusual track amid the feast of funk is the band's "Koklokkkemanifest" (the Cowbell Manifesto). It is read in Danish and is a description of the virtues of the cowbell where it is underlined that:

"it should always be played with an open and attentive approach to the world. Only in this way, it can become a manifestation of the interconnection of everything."

The cowbell manifesto could be translated as AddisAbabaBand's approach to funk. Those looking for a pure version of Afrobeat or Ethiojazz will probably be disappointed. However, for those who recognize funk as a world language where

Mulatu Astatke

percussion

" data-original-title="" title="">Mulatu Astatke,

Fela Kuti

saxophone
1938 - 1997

" data-original-title="" title="">Fela Kuti and

James Brown

vocals
1933 - 2006

" data-original-title="" title="">James Brown can engage in musical conversation with a group of admirers from Denmark, AddisAbabaBand is a powerful reminder of the ability of music to cross geographical boundaries all the way from Aarhus to Addis Ababa.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Space Pants; Laika Laika Interstellar; Rainbow War; White Man; Zion; Koklokkemanifest; Mass Confusion.

Personnel

AddisAbabaBand

Martin Madsen: drums; Jens Peter M?ller: bass; Jesper Rasmussen: guitar; Mikkel Govertz: guitar; Simon Eskildsen: keys; Feike van der Woude: percussion; Christian Dietrichsen: percussion; Preben Kaels: percussion, vocals; Olaf Brinch: tenor saxophone; Marco Dania: tenor saxophone; Lasse En?e: baritone saxophone; Scott Westh: trumpet; Benjamin Himpel: soprano saxophone (#5); Ali Diarra: flute (#5).

Album information

Title: Alive | Year Released: 2018 | Record Label: Self Produced

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Transatlantic
< Previous

ORCASTRATUM
Next >

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.